Homeless man shot by Weymouth police ruled too dangerous for bail

WEYMOUTH – A judge has ruled that a homeless man shot by police after they say he lunged at them with a knife poses a danger if released and ordered him held without bail.

William J. Sylvester, 35, whose last known address was in Weymouth, was ordered held without bail following a dangerousness hearing in Quincy District Court on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Norfolk County district attorney’s office said.

Sylvester is charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder and one count of failing to register as a sex offender. He’s due back in court on July 31.

Sylvester was classified as a Level 2 sex offender in 2002 after he was charged with indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. Level 2 sex offenders are deemed by the state to be a moderate risk to re-offend.

Sylvester was shot once in the abdomen by a police officer in a cramped bedroom at 215 Winter St. on May 16. He was wanted at the time for failing to register as a sex offender. He had cut off a court-ordered GPS tracking bracelet and left his previous address, according to police.

The residents of the apartment, who know Sylvester, called police shortly before midnight and reported that they did not want Sylvester there and couldn’t get him to leave, according to a police report. When officers arrived, they found him in a bedroom holding a knife. He ignored two officers’ commands to drop the knife and turn around, then lunged at them. Both officers fired. One bullet struck Sylvester and the second hit a mattress. An internal police investigation found the officers were justified in firing at him.

Sylvester pleaded innocent to the charges at a bedside arraignment at South Shore Hospital on May 19.

Christian Schiavone may be reached at cschiavone@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.